Wakame Sushi and Asian Bistro - St. Louis Park

My sushi hankering came back today, so I found myself looking for the place with the best lunch special. happy hour and ended up at Wakame. They offer your standard sushi, nigiri, specialty rolls and standard japanese fare (bento boxes, teriyaki's) along with thai stir fry and noodle dishes.

The decor is nothing special, but it is a nice little space. I'm always glad to go somewhere that isn't overwhelmingly trendy, but still somewhat refined. I had the pleasure of sitting right next to (what I assumed to be) a Russian party of seven people. They were enjoying themselves and it was ear-pleasing to listen to them.

Wakame actually has great happy hour choices, with reduced prices on appetizers (i opted for the steamed dumplings = $4.25 for happy hour), specialty rolls (i opted for the Hot Spicy Girl Roll = $8.95) and cheap nigiri (i opted for my beloved Unagi at $2.25 and Mackarel - yes MACKAREL, at 1.50. You get one piece each.)

Steamed Dumplings (my phone will only take good pictures when it's daytime and I am by a direct source of light!)


These were actually quite good. The dipping sauce was the best dumpling sauce I've had to date..it is not overly salty, and not too bland. It also has a little kick of spice to it thanks to a light hand of chiles, and green scallions. Overall, very good.

Hot and Spicy Girl Roll (spicy tuna, spicy yellowtail, and crunchy bits, topped with spicy salmon & crunchy bits, drizzled with spicy mayo sauce) and my Unagi and Mackarel nigiri.

I started with the Mackarel. I've been quite curious about it since hearing many unfavorable things about the flavor. Indeed, it is quite fishy. It did not, however, have the pungency I was anticipating. I probably won't eat it again, but it wasn't terrible. The texture is fine, maybe a bit more firm than yellowtail, but not quite salmon. The unagi was not the best I've had. Unagi can taste either too fishy or too smokey, and this was on the fishy side. I've oinly ever had mild, sweet, fresh tasting unagi at like 2 other places. Maybe it's me??

The roll was quite good. The big pieces you see in the pic are actually cut in half, which I was grateful for. Quite often, specialty roll pieces are too big. I want a good bite, and while these were definitely substantial. they were not difficult to eat. The fish was nice, though I struggled to find any yellowtail. I think I just may be a sushi purist (what??) Anytime there are 2 or more fish mixed together, it gets fuzzy for me. I can't distinctly taste any one thing. It's still delicious, but becomes more complex. The tempura crunch is always appreciated and toasty, especially against the softness of the roll. It was all supple, no firm. It was quite spicy. I am usually pretty surprised that spicy rolls actually ARE spicy. I can tolerate a moderate-high level of spice, and this roll satisfied that well.

Greats
-Cozy, unassuming atmosphere
-Great prices (i got a ton of sushi and appetizer for under $20)
-Dumplings were tasty
-The Hot and Spicy Girl Roll
-Listening to Russian..or Polish maybe?

Not so greats
-Unagi nigiri
-Mackarel
-Not so great on happy hour drinks..but who can blame them, as they are located in a well populated shopping area.
-That's it.

http://wakamebistro.com/default.aspx

Houlihans - Chanhassen

**NOTE: I edited this because I found a bunch more pics of stuff I've eaten at Houlihans.**

On what must have been like my 4th trip to Houlihan's for small plates, I've finally tried almost everything they have. Here is my final blog and summary of the new menu items.

Houlihans has 4 sliders to choose from (shrimp po' boy, pulled pork, burger and a pot roast slider) for $5 apiece, or you can get 3 for $9.50...a small fifty cent savings. Pictured here are the pot roast slider, the shrimp po' boy and the pulled pork. My vote goes for the pot roast. When is pot roast not good?

The Shrimp Po 'Boy was my 2nd. The shrimp flavor came through nicely, without having that overwhelming "fried" taste.

The Pulled Pork had some fried onions on it, and was just ok. It was overall bland and needed more oomph. The buns were nice and shiny, and our server could not tell us what they were except that "they make them there".....
The spicy chicken and avocado eggrolls ($5) were my least favorite. They were distinctly spiced with cumin, and not much else. Not very spicy or flavorful overall.


The Blueberry Mojito = awesome. It has basil and mint, with blueberry syrup. My red flags cautioned me against sweet, but this is not overpoweringly so at all. Pretty good balance of sweet and herbaliciousness!

Fortunately, Houlihans offers 5 varieties of fries. We opted for the Disco Fries (Canadian 'poutine' (poot-sin) style with melty mozzarella, slow cooked pot roast and gravy. $4) and they were heavenly. I somehow don't have a pic, but they were the perfect portion, perfect amount of cheese and gravy, and small bits of pot roast. I'm kinda glad there weren't more because I would have totally gorged myself on them otherwise.

Other things I've had:Thai Noodle Bowl - (ginger-peanut noodles (chilled), cilantro, basil,
mint, napa cabbage, sweet & sour carrots. $5)

-This was quite plain. It comes cold, and it's ok, but I could make better at home honestly.


Grilled Naked Chinese Dumpling Kabobs - (ginger lemongrass
pork bites with peanut sauce. $5)

-Ok, I know we're all adults and can read, but the title is somewhat misleading. Is it a kabob? A dumpling??? Turns out it's a kabob. 5 skewers of pork with a little asian flavor to them. They come with 3 dipping sauces - a wasabi mayo, a spicy kind of soy sauce, and a sweet and sour dip.



Overall, I would go to Houlihans for social outings, but never specifically for the food, though I do like their sandwiches!

Solera - Minneapolis

I've been wanting to go to Solera for a long time. Sadly, dining downtown is not a common thing for me. But recently I discovered that Solera has rooftop movies twice a week, for free! On this particular night, they were scheduled to play my 2nd favorite movie; Across The Universe! I took some tucked away money and off I went (and Mr. H too!)

I made my reservation via Open Table. Open Table was unknown to me, until this dude blogged about it. Basically you just make reservations through them, and get dining points when you complete a reservation. After so many points, you get gift certificates. I figure it may take me a long time since I only go out a few times a month, but they have a wide selection of restaurants that give you 1000 points (as opposed to the normal 100 or so) and Solera is one of them.

We arrived a little early, and opted to sit at the bar. I've heard that Solera is beautiful, and it's 100% true. It isn't annoyingly trendy (Azia) or too pretentious (I Nonni.) The lighting is dim without being too dark, and the space feels comfortable and stylish. They serve a full menu at the bar, so we started browsing the small plates and Tapas menu.

The Tapas menu features 3 things for $8. We decided to order from that, and a few other small plates. For 3 for $8, we ordered: Olives with Lemon and Garlic (can't find this on the websitemenu though..), Manchego Pimenton, and Shrimp and Tetilla Croquetas. From the small plate menu, we opted for Beef Shortribs and Scallops “a la Plancha” with Serrano Ham and Saffron.

Shrimp and tetilla croquetas

These were heavenly. They didn't taste too "fried", and they were very rich, which is appropriate to make up for the lack of them. I've never had tetilla cheese before, and it seemed to be similar to a rich, slightly less tangy goat cheese. I don't know what the sauces were but they were good, if a bit salty. My only disappointment was that there weren't about 10 more of these things.

Beef shortribs
(No pic - it was really dark!)
These came with couscous and a harissa sauce. I was quite underwhelmed with this dish. It was gristly (so much so that my poor Mr. H didn't even want the last one) and very salty. The couscous was ok, but the spinach on top was buttery and awesome. The harissa was so so; more tangy than spicy or savory. Who'd have thought that the vegetable would be my favorite part?

Scallops “a la Plancha” with Serrano Ham and Saffron.

Unfortunately, I've only had scallops a few times, but they are always SO GOOD. These were no exception. The scallops themselves were like BUTTER. Melt in your mouth, light and sweet. The only downfall was that they were very salty - the sauce as the culprit.

Manchego:
This was a little disappointing. It's literally: 5 pieces of triangle manchego slices and 2 paltry pieces of toasted bread. I understand that these are on a 3 for $8 menu, but come on now. A little something more? It lacked balance, and though I love manchego, there was just no oomph.

Olives
We didn't get a pic of stuff because by this time, I was in a super hurry to get up to my movie, and they apparently forgot about these last 2 orders. The olives were fine. I can't say what kind they were, but they were small, green, pitted, and oily. They come in a tiny little bowl, but I brought them up with me (in the elevator!) and snacked on them like popcorn. The garlic and lemon come through well. Not too strong, although my hands needed a good washing after eating them.

The rooftop really is quite nice. The occasional bounce that you feel is a bit alarming, but I'll leave that to the pro's. They show the movies on a big projecter screen, and it was packed up there. So much so that I didn't have anywhere to sit for the first 30 minutes. As I waited for a seat to open, I sipped the special drink of the night. An electric lemonade, with bacardi dragonberry and some other stuff. It tasted like cotton candy and lemon. I finally found a spot, and stuck to my regular after that. I was in bliss, like a kid watching Sesame Street (do kids watch Sesame Street anymore?)

Greats:
-Varied seating! They have a main room, bar, tapas bar, and dining room, in addition to the rooftop.
-The bathrooms are quite nice. I'm always looking out for unique or swanky bathrooms.
-Watching Across the Universe on the rooftop and seeing like 50 other people be mesmerizied by it.
-The scallops and olives

Not so greats:
-Beef ribs- way too gristly
-The electric lemonade.
-The occasional rooftop bounce
-Manchego dish- I could gussy up my house and slice 5 pieces of cheese for cheaper.

http://www.solera-restaurant.com/

Houlihan's - Chanhassen

Mrs. D and I decided to do lunch at Houlihan's after seeing Ramona and Beezus (which was AWESOME) on a hot Sunday afternoon. Houlihan's is no stranger to us, but we like the food and so off we went.

We arrived about 2:30 or 3 and sat in a booth near the bar. I haven't been to Houlihan's for awhile, so I was pleased to see they have a new "small plates" menu , along with FOUR varities of fries (disco fries: Canadian ‘poutine’ (poot-sin) style with melty mozzarella, slow cooked pot roast and gravy - $4.) If you know me, you know about me and small plates. I relish variety, and small plates are made for this personality. I was doubly pleased to find they have happy hour ALL DAY every Sunday and monday. 2 for 1 rails, taps and house wines. Also, they have a list of "big small plates", which is basically standard appetizers (Spinach dip, Calamari), and they are on special during all happy hours for $6.75 for anything! I really like this. I could save up and easily spend the better part of Sunday here, and I intend to.

Since this was just a lunch, we didn't do the small plate feast. Instead, we ordered Goat Cheese and Artichoke Poppers (with fresh thyme and lemon zest- $5), the Farmhouse Club Sandwich (me: brown sugar and honey cured ham, mesquite turkey, bacon, basil pesto aioli, buttery gouda, whole-grain bread, with greek orzo as a side- $10.95) and Buffalo Chicken Tenders for Mrs. D.

Goat and Artichoke Poppers

Overall these were pretty tasty, but Mrs. D tried one and she was right..the goat cheese was kind of...perfumey tasting. I attributed this at first to the lemon (the white sauce was some sort of lemon sauce, the dark sauce was more salty) but then tasted it without and decided it was the goat cheese. For some reason, I've been hearing a lot of people who don't like goat cheese lately...I do not know how this is possible. I love it, but this was not the best I've had.

Club sandwich w/ orzo:

I didn't get a pic of anything else, but this sandwich was quite good. It was a little bread-ey for my tastes, but I just pulled it off. It certainly didn't ruin it for me, as the sandwich itself is nicely structured and not sloppy (my biggest sandwich pet peeve.) The orzo was good, but it doesn't wow me. I get it to pretend I'm being healthy.

The buffalo chicken was not as good as I remember it. I'm suuuuper picky about my buffalo wings. They are bad much too often. I like the Spring Street Taverns, but am still searching for the perfect "wing". I will accept donations to send me to the Buffalo Wing Fest in New York at any time!

For 2 rail drinks and all this food, our final bill came to $29 and some change.

Greats:

-Atmosphere. It's nothing special, but it's comfy, big, with varied seating. I just hate it when there isn't good seating. Fat girls lament.
-The happy hour
-The small plates
-Food is consistently good.

Not so greats
-Perfumey goat cheese
-Nothing here has wowed me yet
-Buffalo chicken isn't as good as I remember

http://www.houlihans.com/home.aspx

Taste of Thailand - Fridley

Me and Mr. Eng were way past due for a dinner outing. So being the opportunist I am, I chose the place right next door to my job that I've wanted to try for awhile. So after getting off of work, I ran 100 feet to my car in the pouring rain, drove the 1/2 block over to the place, ran 100 feet from the car into the restaurant and arrived completely soaking wet!

Mr. Eng arrived awhile later, and I was still soaking wet (can you tell this bothered me.). He sat down and we chatted and perused the menu. I ordered a diet coke and he stuck with water. Chad didn't even order any Dew. He must be getting soft on me. Finally after about a year, we decided on our food:

Curry Puffs
I've been wanting to try these for awhile. Taste of Thailand doesn't have a website, but I described these as Asian Empanadas! The dough on the edge was "braided"in the same manner. The inside was a mushy awesome yellow curry filling. I'm not positive what it was, but I think there were potatoes and some veggies in there. They were served with slices of sweet cucumber, and I have no idea why.

Special Spring RollsThey have 2 different versions of spring rolls. I believe these have more herbs in them. Again, no website, and I have a shitty memory. However, these were one of the best spring rolls I've had. The wrapper was not gummy at all, and the filing wasn't too sparse or overflowing. The peanut sauce had a big kick of lime to it...or was it the spring roll? Chad and I both couldn't decide if the lime kick was from the sauce, or the spring roll itself. My final verdict after trying it both ways is the sauce. The spring roll also had some pronounced cilantro and mint going on. The meat filling was lacking (i think it was just shrimp in there) but it was a tasty spring roll overall.

Chad's Red Curry with Green Beans

The waiter asked us what spice level we wanted, and Chad decided that since his girlfriend was out of town (heheheheee) he would go hot. This arrived, and doesn't it just LOOK fiery? I tasted a bite of it and it was indeed fiery. Not in an immediate way, but as we know, Thai spice builds, and from the look of Chads empty water glass and face-wiping action at the end, it did indeed build.

Massaman CurryI've never had massaman before, so I figured I'd try it. I got my spice level "medium well"and chose chicken as my meat. As I understand from research. the massaman curry is sweetly spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and the like. I found none of those elements to it. The potatoes were in large chunks, and the meat was kind of skimpy. The curry sauce itself was nice and runny as it should be, but it was overall quite sweet. The peanuts helped add some savory to it, and the spice level was good. But I found it overall lacking in balance that Thai cuisine aims for. There wasn't much savory or salty - just a lot of curry and sweet. It wasn't bad...because is there really ever a BAD curry????

Overall, the dishes were just so-so. They were a little one dimensional (maybe a few more veggies in Chads curry, or more in mine) but I'm sure that's just how the cuisine is meant to be. I would have liked a bit more complexity, personally.

Greats
-Curry Puffs
-Spring Rolls
-Talking Chads ear off for like an hour and a half
-There isn't a 4th.

Not so greats
-The atmosphere is nothing special
-Sweet Curry
-One dimensional stuff
-It was freezing in there (but I was also wet.)

Enjoy! - Apple Valley. The 2nd Round.

Being that we had a pretty great experience at Enjoy! for their Thanksgiving course meal, Mr. H and I decided to try them again for our 4 year anniversary. So off we went on the long trek to Apple Valley!

Upon entering Enjoy!, it felt the same as before. It's clean, modern, and slightly trendy but no so annoyingly so like some of the places I encounter in the western suburbs (Maynards COUGHCOUGH.) It's beautifully decorated, but still feels welcoming and cozy despite the large space.

We scored a booth (right next to the one we had before) and ordered some drinks. Me, a glass of the Enjoy! cabernet, which is quite good at $6 a glass, and Mr. H ordered some beer (sorry Mr. H, beer isn't memorable!) We were pretty starving and were glad when the bread came. Enjoy! has my favorite starter bread - the white bread is crusty, soft and warm. The wheat bread has raisins in it (i think?) but not in a gross way. They are small and sweet. The butter is soft and and not all cold and hard like some places serve it.

We figured out what we would order after looking at the menu forever. I was really torn between the Lobster Ravioli and the Canneloni (Stuffed with beef, pork, veal, spinach and tomatoes with mozzarella, ricotta, red and white sauces.) Mr. H was between a Seafood pasta (Sea bass, shrimp, scallops and prosciutto with white wine and linguine) and the Prime Rib (Au jus, horseradish cream and mashed potatoes King 26.95 Queen 22.95.) We decided on the Canneloni and Prime Rib, respectively.

Our food came out pretty fast (10-15 min) and we were starving.

Canneloni

As you can see, there was about 10 pounds of cheese on this thing (the white sauce is just sauce though - not cheese.) Let me tell you, I like cheese. I like about twice as much of it on stuff than most people. But this was so much cheese it almost gagged me. I had to pull some of it off and set it aside in order to even get to the pasta, which fell apart through all the fuss. I found the meat filling to be lacking, and it contributed nothing to the dish. The clear and concise bites I DID get were sorta...gristly. The sauces alone were ok, the white sauce was a tad too rich and cheesy, and the red sauce was robust. In my mind, I imagined nice chewy pasta with savory and somewhat spicy meat filling, with some sharp cheese and garlic accents in the sauce. I ate it all anyways because I'm a pig and I was hungry, but I didn't quite "enjoy" it as thoroughly as I wanted to. (har!!)

Prime Rib

I'll admit, I am no prime rib aficianado. I've had it before, and it speaks to me as steaks younger, prettier brother. This dish for me, was lacking. The meat was done to a good wellness, it was moist enough, but the flavor just didn't sing. It just tasted like a plain 'ol piece of meat. It didn't sing and shower me with warmth (yes, food can do those things to me.) The mashed potatoes were garlic overload. I mean, I really like garlic. I like it so much that when I chop it, I don't mind that the smell lingers for a few hours on my fingers, even after washing. But this was like a wallop of creamed..garlic. It can be overdone. The most pleasant thing I found was the au jus..for ONCE it wasn't a saltsophere of hell. It was savory and mild.

I was quite disappointed with Enjoy! I will definitely go back to give some other things a try...but I won't be using them for special occasions or big-money dinners again.

Greats
-The atmosphere/decor
-The patio is awesome - it wraps around the length of one side, has a pond next to it, statues, and a good variety of seating.
-The bread. Mmmmmmm.
-Decent wine prices and selection - something for everyone!

Not greats
-The cheese pile on top of the canneloni
-The kind of bland prime rib
-The fact I didn't pick Lobster Ravioli
-There was a goddamn crying baby right next to us! I know people out there have babies, but dammit get a sitter! /insensitive bitchiness

Va Bene Berarducci's Cafe - Duluth, MN

Bellisio is our usual go-to romantic spot in Duluth, but I did some research and stumbled on Va Bene. I'm not one for relying on reviews, but I have yet to see one bad review for Va Bene. So we decided to swicth it up, and off we went Mr. H and I!

Va Bene really doesn't look like much from the outside. It's a small little cafe type of place, so I wasn''t sure about the atmosphere. Upon walking in, I felt comfortable right away. The decor is cozy and not fussy. The vibe is laid back and lightly romantic. The kitchen is literally in the open, behind the bar area and to the right. There are about 10 tables in a small dining area that boasts a nice fireplace. Looking beyond, you see a glass enclosed patio area about 30 feet off the ground, overlooking lots and lots of lake. We waited about 5 minutes, and were seated in the next open table in that area on the patio. It was a small, narrow space, but somehow it doesn't seem cramped at all. The only gripe I have is that the wood accents/construction that runs along the windows are RIGHT at eye level...so you can see the water, but the wood blocks your view of the shore along with it, so it's like looking at half a painting.

As we looked over the menu, we ordered a 1/2 price bottle of wine (DiGiovanna Nero d’ Avola.) They have a small but very nice wine list. The cheapest wine by the glass on the red list is a Pinot Noir(Cesari Due Torri =$6.50). That's unheard of! We recieved our bottle of wine in minutes, and it was lovely; light but well balanced and lush.

As we perused the menu, we saw many delicious things and wanted all of them. I was happy to see crostini's, so we ordered the prosciuotto gorgonzola crostinis ($8.50.) The entrees are mostly pasta dishes, and they also have a build your own pasta, where you can choose between the 3 types of pasta (fettucine, jumbo shells or penne, which are the 3 varieties they serve in all), a sauce, and then up to 3 additional items. The ingredients are stored inside a cooler, where you can pick what you want and watch the cooks make it for you right there. It was tempting, but we decided on the Amatriciana with fettucine for me (A zesty pancetta, red onion, and tomato sauce, topped with Pecorino Romano cheese. Just like in Roma! = $14.75) and Mr. H on the Pesto Frutti Di Mare (Sautéed shrimp and scallops served with our creamy house-made sundried tomato pesto sauce. = $14.75.)

The crostini's came in about 10 minutes or less, while we thoroughly enjoyed our wine and were feeling a bit romantic. I bit into the crostini, and was a little sad that I was having trouble eating it properly. For one, I could not just bite "through" the proscuitto. It wasn't tough, but it's more sturdy than ham. So I found myself getting a huge bite of proscuitto + like 3 gorgonzola crumble in one bite. Plus, there was waaaayy too much fig jam. Fig jam is very sweet, and it also got all over my hands and table. I found myself removing half of it with my knife before eating the next one. One the good side, the crostini's themselves were perfect.

Our food came about 10 minutes later (i loved the timing of the service here) and looked and smelled wonderful. I took a bite of my dish, and it was heavenly. The tomato sauce was abundant, slightly spicy, tangy and garlic-ey. And not all at once, but in simple, light layers. The pecorino romano on top added a little kick and salt to the dish, which rounded it out well. I am pleased to say this was not too rich or too salty. This is the kind of dish I had hoped for at Rinata, or even I Nonni, but never got. My only gripe is that the pasta was a bit soft - I could have used a little more bounce off my teeth.

Mr. H's dish seemed a little more suspect, as do many seafood/ pasta dishes. I took a bite of his, and immediately wanted more...LOTS more. The scallops were soft and buttery, the shrimps were meaty and succulent, the penne was firm and chewy, the sauce was creamy, smokey and rustic, without ever being too rich. I would have sang if it weren't for the bitterness of food envy I was feeling.

Somewhere in between there, we were served focaccia bread with oil. And really - when is that NOT good??

When we were done and I was full, I was sad. Sad that I could not continue eating, and sad that we probably had to leave pretty soon. We talked a bit with a (different) waiter who informed us they had been there for 4 years now, but they have been revamping so many people think they're new. We told him how much we loved it, and he sincerely thanked us and seemed proud of our compliments.

I will be searching for a place in Minneapolis that can hold a candle to this one. Any suggestions??

Greats:
-Laid back vibe
-The Ameritriciana
-The Frutti
-The wine

Not so greats
-The lake view
-The crostini
That's it!

http://www.vabenecaffe.com/va-bene-caffe.html